User:Dunbarfc/sandbox

Dunbar Rovers Football Club is an Australian amateur football (soccer) club based in Rushcutters Bay, a suburb of Sydney. They currently play in the Eastern Suburbs Football Association.

History
The Club was founded in 1991 with one team and has grown to be one of the leading football clubs in the Eastern Suburbs Football Association (ESFA), now fielding 17 senior teams, two junior teams from Under 6 to Under 10 in Sydney, plus sponsoring four junior teams in Cambodia.

At the highest level, Dunbar First Grade Men's team has won the ESFA Premier League Championship five times since its inception in 2007. The Premier League squad is supported by eight other all age men's teams who compete at various levels in ESFA.

Over the past ten years Dunbar has consistently been prominent at the top of ESFA's women's competition, winning the top grade on numerous occasions and has also been competitive in the older version of the game with our two Over 35 teams and for the first time in 2011, an Over 45 team.

NSW State League Division 2 Football
In 2014 Dunbar Rovers made an application to Football NSW for a license to enter the Men's NSW State League Division 2 for the 2015 season. In its 'Declaration of Leagues' announced on September 29th, Football NSW have granted the club a license to participate in it's State League Competition. . This will require the club to field a First Grade squad, as well as recruit and field a new Under 20s squad. Long time club stalwart Marc Coughlan has been announced as the club's Head of State League Football and current First Grade coach Will Cullen has been confirmed as the First Grade Coach for State League and former First Grade coach Mike Dixon has been confirmed as Under 20s coach. Both of these coaches also happen to be the two ESFA Champion of Champions winning coaches at the club.

2014
In the 2014 winter season Dunbar Rovers fielded senior teams in the following ESFA competitions:

2014
In the 2014 winter season Dunbar Rovers fielded Women teams in the following ESFA competitions:

ESFA Junior Football
In the 2014 winter season, Dunbar Rovers fielded the following Junior teams in ESFA competitions:

NSW Champions of Champions
Dunbar Rovers has had at least one senior team representing ESFA at the NSW Champion of Champions tournament every year since 2002.

In addition, Dunbar has the honour of being the only First Grade Men's team from Sydney's Eastern Suburbs to have won the Champion of Champions not once but twice.

On October 24th, 2008 the club defeated Budgewoi FC (Central Coast) in a very tight final, winning 1-0 thanks to a golden goal in extra-time from striker Peter Satos.

On October 19th, 2014 Dunbar Men's First Grade defeated Kenthurst (Gladesville Hornsby) 3-2 in the Final

The star in the club's logo signifies the Champion of Champions win - a very special event for everyone connected with the club.

Other Honours
Sydney Metropolitan Cup (Men) Winners, 1999

Cambodian Teams
Dunbar Rovers' first official charitable initiative was established in 2008 via a partnership with the Football Project of Starfish Foundation (ISF)

Dunbar supports ISF in Cambodia sponsoring an Under 14 Boys and Under 14 Girls team from Komar Rikreay (KMR) in the Battambang  region. KMR provides non-institutional care and community nurturing for former street and trafficked kids.

The support is for the junior football coaching programme aimed at using football to develop a greater sense of confidence, teamwork and hope for these kids. Matches are played against other teams, culminating in a tournament held each March in Phnom Penh.

The programme began two years ago and now provides FIFA accredited coaching twice a week for 450 kids. In the next 2 years, Indochina Starfish is aiming to have 25 squads of boys & girls.

Dunbar committed to an initial three year sponsorship of the teams who are named after the club and wear the same kit. The club has extended this for another 5 seasons. The club's funds go directly towards sponsoring the teams, covering costs such as balls, strips, boots, bibs, cones, coach's fees, transport and field rental. Dunbar's teams have squads of 25 kids although often more participate in each training session.

Current

 * 🇮🇪 Clive Delaney - Former professional with a number of Irish clubs. FAI Cup winner with Derry City.
 * 🇮🇪 Craig Mooney - Former professional with League of Ireland clubs UCD and Shelbourne
 * 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Paul O'Shaughnessy - Former professional with Bury in the English Championship and League One.
 * 🇳🇿 Jonathan Smith - Former semi-professional with Auckland City who represented Oceania at the 2006 FIFA World Club Championships in Tokyo
 * 🇦🇺 Sandra Stavrou - Former top grade Women's player in NSW. Voted best player in NSW in 2006.

Former

 * 🇮🇪 Anthony Flood - Former professional with a number of Irish clubs. League of Ireland Champion in 2013 with St Patricks Athletic.
 * 🇮🇪 Thomas Crawley - Former professional for Derry City in the League of Ireland
 * 🇨🇷 Gerry Gomez - Former Australian National Soccer League defender with Sydney City, Marconi, APIA, Parramatta Eagles
 * 🇦🇺 Anthony LaPaglia - Former Australian National Soccer League goalkeeper with Adelaide City and West Adelaide, former part-owner of Sydney FC and now a famous Hollywood actor
 * 🇦🇺 Phillip Muhlbauer - Former Australian National Soccer League defender with Wollongong Wolves